Step Into the Past on the Ship Niña

This weekend, step back in time aboard the Niña, an historically accurate recreation of the ship that accompanied Christopher Columbus on several of his voyages to the New World. The ship is a replica of a Caravel, a type of ship used by the Spanish and Portuguese during the Age of Discovery, and was hand-built in Brazil using 15th-century construction methods and launched in 1991, in time for the quincentennial of Columbus' 1492 voyage to the Americas. The Niña also starred in the Ridley Scott film 1492, which featured Gerard Depardieu as Columbus.

The Niña is operated as a touring maritime museum by the Columbus Foundation in the British Virgin Islands. The ship will be moored at the Loch Lomond Yacht Club, located at 95 Loch Lomond Drive (off Point San Pedro Road). Hours are 9 am to 6 pm, and the Niña will be there from now through Wednesday, August 20. Self guided tours are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (60+), $3 for children 5–16, and free for children 4 and under. After Wednesday Niña heads to Petaluma, where it will tie up at the downtown turning basin from August 22–26. It then moves on to more Bay Area locations including Oakland's Jack London Square, Vallejo, Antioch, Redwood City, and Half Moon Bay.

For more information on the Niña, including its history and a full schedule of its appearances, visit www.thenina.com.